Vincent Price vs Alice Cooper

[Mad Hatter]

The Statler & Waldorf bit I referred to in my earlier post was the one where they recall a former horror actor, "Boris Klinger." He appears in the box, and Statler is so scared, he literally jumps out of his seat. Waldorf tells him to bring back some popcorn, "with butter," adds Boris.

Interestingly, Alice Cooper's real first name is Vincent!

Is he called Boris Klinger ? I think that hideous actor's name is Thudge Mc Gerk (the Episodes Guides confirms it).

Indeed, Alice Copper's real name is Vincent Furnier.

 

[abiraniriba]

Alice no doubt about it

I happen to have the tape of these two eps back to back, it was a special halloween edition. I loved the toothache bit (unfortunately, I've had toothaches that bad). But I would have to go with Alice Cooper's ep as being the scariest. As for the backstage scenes Alice attempted the Faust offer with the whole Muppet gang, Gonzo did almost sign it, but was stopped. I think the craziest part of that ongoing gag though was at the end when Scooter showed up with a piece of paper and told Kermit to look at it claiming it was horrible. Kermit thought it was the contract with Satan, but it really was the bill special FX.

 

[Mad Hatter]

Posts crossing. Thanks, Minor.

 

[minor muppetz]

Both of these episodes were included on the video Monster Laughs with Vincent Price. And both were edited. I wonder if Somewhere Over the Rainbow was actually edited for time, or because it didn't fit the mood of the show.

I mena, the video was released in October 1994. Earlier that year, Disney released Muppet Sing-Alongs: It's Not Easy Being Green, and one of the songs on there was Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and the clip from The Muppets Go to the Movies was used. And that clip was included by choice. I'm sure that if Disney (or was it Henson who took care of music rights for these videos?) could get the rights to a song used in a clip that was chosen, then they could have gotten the rights to include a song on a video release of a production that was originally included in the production.

The Houses sketch from the Vincent Price epsidoe was also cut, and that sketch didn't have anything to do with the halloween theme. Watching that sceen on the first season DVD, the edit between that sketch and the goodnights seemed a bit sudden, and that could explain it being cut from the video, but then in the Vincent Price epsidoe, part of canteen scene before Somewhere Over the Rainbow was included (rather than editing the whole sketch). I know that the scene originally ended with Fozzie wishing that something peaceful would happen, leading to Somewhere Over the Rainbow, but I feel like the edit there seemed just as sudden as the DVD edit of the house scene to the goodnight. But it s good that the canteen scene wasn't completely edited. It's one of the few canteen sceens that I have seen, and one of the fewer times that I'vew seen Gladys.

It seems liek the Alice Cooper epsiode had more of a science/ science fiction theme, with Muppet Labs and Pigs in Space sketches being included. The toohache sketch looked like it took place on another planet.

 

[Winslow Leach]

Actually, the monsters name was Thudge McGurk. But I know that the name Boris Klinger was mentioned by either Statler or Waldorf in a first season episode. I forget which one.

Ah, yes! Thudge McGurk!

Boris Klinger was mentioned by S&W in the Joel Grey ep. 2000 people attended his last performance. Half brought the tar, half brought the feathers.

 

[Mad Hatter]

I think the craziest part of that ongoing gag though was at the end when Scooter showed up with a piece of paper and told Kermit to look at it claiming it was horrible. Kermit thought it was the contract with Satan, but it really was the bill special FX.

That's right, except that this part is with Gonzo, not Scooter.

Even if the Alice Cooper episode is scarier than the Vincent Price one, it contains an unusual mix of spookiness and modern, human references (due to the lyrics of Alice's songs) : for instance, when he sings "You and me" with the monster, Alice says "we share only some pop-corn and TV". And at the closing number, when he sings "School's out" with the giants monsters (Sweetums, Thog, Doglion, Big Mama, a Mutation, and - what's its name ? - the green one with a long tail), they look like hooligans blowing a school into pieces, rather than like spooky or ghostly creatures.

 

[minor muppetz]

And at the closing number, when he sings "School's out" with the giants monsters (Sweetums, Thog, Doglion, Big Mama, a Mutation, and - what's its name ? - the green one with a long tail), they look like hooligans blowing a school in pieces, rather than like spooky or ghostly creatures.

I always thought that monster was blue, but others frequently say he's green. Anyway, his name is Timmy Monster.

 

[Winslow Leach]

Both of these episodes were included on the video Monster Laughs with Vincent Price. And both were edited. I wonder if Somewhere Over the Rainbow was actually edited for time, or because it didn't fit the mood of the show.

I mena, the video was released in October 1994. Earlier that year, Disney released Muppet Sing-Alongs: It's Not Easy Being Green, and one of the songs on there was Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and the clip from The Muppets Go to the Movies was used. And that clip was included by choice. I'm sure that if Disney (or was it Henson who took care of music rights for these videos?) could get the rights to a song used in a clip that was chosen, then they could have gotten the rights to include a song on a video release of a production that was originally included in the production.

The Houses sketch from the Vincent Price epsidoe was also cut, and that sketch didn't have anything to do with the halloween theme. Watching that sceen on the first season DVD, the edit between that sketch and the goodnights seemed a bit sudden, and that could explain it being cut from the video, but then in the Vincent Price epsidoe, part of canteen scene before Somewhere Over the Rainbow was included (rather than editing the whole sketch). I know that the scene originally ended with Fozzie wishing that something peaceful would happen, leading to Somewhere Over the Rainbow, but I feel like the edit there seemed just as sudden as the DVD edit of the house scene to the goodnight. But it s good that the canteen scene wasn't completely edited. It's one of the few canteen sceens that I have seen, and one of the fewer times that I'vew seen Gladys.

It seems liek the Alice Cooper epsiode had more of a science/ science fiction theme, with Muppet Labs and Pigs in Space sketches being included. The toohache sketch looked like it took place on another planet.

Yeah, I bought "Monster Laughs" after I lost the tape of the uncut syndicated episodes I recorded off TV (TMS used to air twice on Saturday mornings on a local station). This was before Nickelodeon started showing the episodes, beginning in the spring of 1994. From what I recall, the Vincent Price episode that aired on Nick was uncut, save for the dubbed "Jack Parnell" line in the haunted house sketch. I remember the Rita Moreno episode was hacked to bits. Rita's opening number was completely missing, "Fever," which closed the show, was placed as the opening number, and at least one of Fozzie's running gags to Kermit was omitted. I don't recall the Alice Cooper episode airing on Nick. Maybe I just missed it?

 

[Mad Hatter]

OK, thanks, Minor, but I thought Timmy Monster was another green monster : the clumsy one in Bernadette Peters number.

 

[minor muppetz]

OK, thanks, Minor, but I thought Timmy Monster was another green monster : the clumsy one in Bernadette Peters number.

They are the same monster, only with alterations (Timmy had green hair in most of season two, and no tail). I've read that Timmy Monster was referred to by name in a picture caption from thats cene in TheArt of the Muppets, while his name was mentioend on-screen in the Carol Channing episode (wher ehe had his later look).